The 2017 AIR Awards are fast approaching! This year's award nominees have been announced and include 17 Australian women - plus members of two orchestras, of whom we are still counting. See the full list here.

Any successful artist will tell you the journey is not always straightforward and that things don't always come easily. Songwriter and guitarist Kate Martin has given in to the hard times with her new single Set My Life To Fire. The songstress who hails from Townsville says that fire burns, but also that it purifies. The challenges that are associated with the life of an artist - most notably for Kate, her somewhat lonely move to Melbourne five years ago - have made her who she is today. "This is gonna shake me, gonna cost me.... I need the northern air on my southern skin... the middle of my compass always points to north, give me the water, give me the water," she sings. Inspiring stuff. But not the "You lift me up, I am a brave tiger" brand of inspiration. Kate is brutally confronting hard realities and choosing to embrace them. Yep, beautifully relatable. Kate previous single Kintsukuroi had similar themes. The word comes from a Japanese ancient art form where shattered ceramics are repaired with gold and end up making something more beautiful, but this beauty would not have occurred should the vessel had never been broken. Wise words from Kate who has supported many Australian acts, including The Waifs and fellow Townsville friends The Middle East, performed relentlessly, had songs on television, and is just about to release her brand new album. Kate is a killer guitarist with luscious vocal tones who has been making and releasing music since 2011. The title track of her next album Set My Life To Fire was produced by Jon Hume of Evermore, and is a moving song that arrests your attention with its compelling lyrics. Her album is set for release in June this year. Meanwhile, Kate gave Music Love this insightful interview where she talked about her musical pathway so far, her life in Melbourne, what she misses about Townsville, and, of course, her brand new song.